Woodland surveys residents on fluoridation, tax hikes

The majority of Woodland residents oppose fluoridated water and higher taxes to pay for park and road maintenance, according to a survey of city residents.

… Meanwhile, 56 percent of survey respondents said they were against fluoridated drinking water.

The city has fluoridated its water, off and on, for two decades.

Portland voters recently defeated a referendum to add fluoride to its water supply by a nearly 2-1 margin. Starting last year, around the time the issue of fluoridation became controversial in Portland, Woodland began receiving emails from people concerned about fluoride in the city’s water supply.

The city currently doses its water supply at 1 milligram per liter of water. The Environmental Protection Agency recommends fluoridation levels not exceed .7 milligram per liter, but the standards haven’t been adopted by the Washington State Department of Health Drinking Water Program.

Bart Stepp, the city’s public works director, said reducing fluoride levels in the city’s water supply wouldn’t make sense but added the city could decide to remove fluoride altogether.

Although the survey wasn’t conducted scientifically, the city council could use it to shade decisions in the future, Laseke said.